Overheated journal boxes on a railway vehicle in a train may cause the axle to freeze against rotation and possibly result in derailment of the train. Present systems for detecting overheated journal bearings are usually wayside oriented, thereby providing only a periodic check of the journal boxes on the cars as the train passes specific locations at which the wayside detection equipment is located. Moreover, brakeinduced wheel heat may influence wayside detecting devices and cause a false indication accompanied by unnecessary train delays while attempting to locate the hot journal box.